地球脉动（2006）

行星地球
辽阔的草原
Vast open plains.
广袤无垠
Immense spaces.
万籁俱寂
Eerie silence.
然而 你若以为这里死气沉沉就大错特错了
But any feeling of emptiness is an illusion.
草原维系了我们行星最丰富多彩的生命群落
The plains of our planet support the greatest gatherings of wildlife on Earth.
这一切最终都依赖于一种生命体的存在
At the heart of all that happens here is a single living thing.
草
Grass.
这种神奇的植物覆盖了地球上四分之一的土地
This miraculous plant covers a quarter of all the lands of the Earth.
伟 大 草 原
草地无所不在 一点雨水虽然不足以维系一片森林 却可使一片草地存活下来
Grasslands exist wherever there is a little rain, but not enough to sustain a forest.
英配解说：大卫·爱登堡
有些草原非常辽阔
Some are huge.
仅中亚的疏树大草原
The Central Asian Steppe alone
便横跨了地球的三分之一
extends one third of the way around our planet.
在夏天 雄鹰可以毫不费力的在热气流上盘旋
It's summer, and eagles effortlessly cruise the thermals,
搜寻地上猎物的踪迹
scanning the ground beneath for signs of prey.
在遥远的外♥蒙♥古大草原
In the distant reaches of outer Mongolia,
地球上规模最大的迁徙大军正浩浩荡荡地行进着
one of the planet's great migrations is underway.
这一蔚为壮观的场面一年一次 但却很少有人亲眼目睹
Few people ever see this extraordinary annual event.
蒙古瞪羚
Mongolian gazelle.
共约两百万只瞪羚生活在此处 但具体数量仍不得知
Two million are thought to live here, but no one really knows.
瞪羚在大部分时间里 都各自流浪在这片广袤的大地上
For much of the time, they're scattered through this vast landscape,
然而 每年总有一次 这些它们将会聚集在一起 繁衍后代
but once a year they come together to have their young.
在接下来的十天之内 几乎所有的小家伙都会呱呱坠地
Nearly all will give birth within the next 10 days.
在毫无遮挡的草原上若想安全地繁衍 最佳方法是集体照看
0ut in the open, communal calving is the safest way to have young.
有了这么多双警惕的眼睛
With so many pairs of eyes keeping watch,
瞪羚们能够极其有效地防止自己遭到偷袭
it's almost impossible for predators to sneak up.
这里没有矮小的灌木 也没高大的乔木 只有一样东西可以藏身其后
There are no bushes, no trees. There's only one thing to hide behind.
草
Grass.
草的掩护并不是非常有效
And it's not very effective.
掠食动物在这片空旷的草地上繁衍后代也并不轻松
Predators also have a hard time raising their young on open grassland.
没有了树,鹰只能直接把巢安在地面上
Without trees, eagles have to nest directly on the ground.
所有生活在草原上的动物 都必须面对大自然残酷的一面
All the inhabitants of the Great Plains are exposed to the elements.
冲天的火光引起了一片恐慌
Fire sparks panic in the herd.
瞪羚是天生的跑步能手, 即使是小瞪羚 奔跑速度也快过火势蔓延的速度
Gazelles are born to run and even young calves easily outpace the flames,
前提条件是它们没有被困住
if they can avoid being trampled.
一路无阻的大火 无情地吞噬了一切无力逃跑的生灵
With nothing to stand in its way, the blaze consumes anything that can't flee.
大量的青草 宝贵的食物,片刻之间便化为乌有
Huge quantities of grass, valuable food, have been lost.
难逃一劫的还有老弱动物
And with it, the old and the weak.
瞪羚们远离了这片狼籍不堪的荒芜之地 继续行进 寻找新的草原
The gazelles move on to new pastures and leave the desolation behind them.
宛如从灰烬中复活的凤♥凰♥
From the ashes rises the phoenix.
草又匪夷所思地复活了
Grass, the incredible survivor.
草茎的基部有很强的自我保护能力
Because it grows from a protected part at the base of its stems,
几乎可以说 草是坚不可摧的
grass is almost indestructible.
草能迅速地自我修复 繁殖能力极强 在所有植物中 既是覆盖地球面♥积♥最大的
Able to repair and reproduce itself rapidly, it covers more of the Earth's land than any other plant
又是维系生命群落种类最多的
and feeds more wildlife than any other.
红嘴奎利亚雀
Red-billed quelea.
以15亿的数量聚集在非洲的稀树大草原上
0ne and a half billion swarm across the savannahs of Africa.
这些鸟是地球上数量最多的鸟
These are the most numerous birds on Earth.
这些鸟数量众多 让它们从你的头顶上飞过要花5个小时
Some flocks are so vast that they can take five hours to pass overhead.
只有草才能满足这些鸟的胃口
0nly grass can feed plagues of these proportions.
饥肠辘辘的群鸟贪婪地吞食着草的种子
The ravenous hordes devour the seeds.
而叶子和茎则被巨大的羚羊群所享受
And the leaves and stems are cropped by great herds of antelope.
仅生活在东非稀树大草原的角马 就接近两百万（注：角马属羚羊的一种）
The East African savannahs alone sustain nearly two million wildebeest.
这些角马拼命地吃草 把草根上面的草茎部分全部吃掉
They trim the grass down to its roots, leaving little in their wake,
然而被吃掉的那部分仅在数天之内就能恢复生长
but within days the plant will recover
草便又继续维系着地球上 最大的动物群落的食物需要
and continue to sustain the biggest herds on Earth.
草不仅生长在热带地区
Grass is not confined to the tropics.
即使在北极这样恶劣的环境下草也有办法生存下来
It manages to grow even in the bitter conditions of the Arctic.
在最后一批树木以外的地方, 处处是冰天雪地 一片荒芜
Beyond the limits of the last tree, the planet is barren and ice-locked.
那是地球边缘 天寒地冻 人迹罕至
A frozen no-man's land at the end of the Earth.
每年却总有短短的一阵日子 漫长阴暗的冬天也会放松它的钳制
But for a short time each year, the long, dark winter releases its grip.
温度回升 整个寒冬都在冬眠的草
Temperatures rise
又开始发芽
and grass that has lain dormant and frozen throughout the winter sprouts once more.
北极又披上了绿色的外衣
Green returns to the Arctic.
眼前是一片无边无际的平原 面♥积♥相当于一个澳大利亚
The receding ice reveals an immense flat plain the size of Australia.
这便是北极的苔原
This is the Arctic tundra.
虽然此时是万籁俱寂,一片荒凉的景象
It's a desolate, silent wilderness.
但这一切即将发生变化
But it's about to change.
雪雁
Snow geese.
它们在墨西哥湾越冬 等到春天便一路飞过北美洲 来到这里的北极苔原
They winter along the Gulf of Mexico, and in spring they fly the entire length of North America to reach the Arctic tundra.
每年有五百万只雪雁都是这样迁徙
Five million birds make this journey every year.
这场马拉松式的迁徙长达三千英里
Their marathon migration is almost 3,000 miles long
耗时多达三个多月
and has taken them three months.
虽然早己精疲力竭 饥肠辘辘 但它们终于返回了北极圈
Exhausted and starving, they touch down inside the Arctic Circle,
返回了它们阔别已久的繁殖地
back at their traditional breeding grounds at last.
雪雁一生只忠于一个配偶
Snow geese pair for life.
一对雪雁来了之后就必须取得自己的筑巢地
As soon as couples arrive, they must stake a claim to a nesting patch.
理想的地方寥寥无几,邻里纠纷时常发生
Ideal sites are in short supply and quarrelsome neighbours are all around.
有时闹得杀气腾腾
Disputes can be vicious.
方才罢休
Point taken!
北极的苔原虽然路途遥远, 但仍有短短的一段时间是食草动物的天堂
It's a long way to travel, but for a short period, the tundra is the ideal place for a grazer.
在这短暂夏日 草儿茁壮生长
The grass grows vigorously during the short, intense summer
而且这里的掠食动物比南方少多了
and there are fewer predators than further south.
在这里 雪雁可以比较放心地把巢筑在地上
Here, geese can nest on the ground in relative safety.
然而 雌雪雁必须花三周的时间孵蛋
Nonetheless, this female must incubate her eggs for three weeks
而在这三周里 它将变得易受攻击
and throughout this time she will be very vulnerable.
一头北极狐在雪雁的领地附近逡巡
An Arctic fox surveys the colony.
它已经等了整整一个冬天
She's been waiting for the geese all winter.
出其不意的偷袭很难奏效
Sneaking up unnoticed is impossible.
也许命运之神会眷顾勇敢的动物
Perhaps fortune will favour the bold.
雪雁的领地防御完善,很难让狐狸轻松下手
The colony is well-defended. There are no easy pickings here.
这只狐狸四处碰壁但在饥饿的驱使下始终不肯放弃努力
She's driven away from every nest, but hunger compels her to continue.
这里的蛋多得它根本吃不了
There are more eggs here than she can possibly eat now.
但是雪雁的繁殖季很短
But the nesting season is short.
所以狐狸会把蛋藏起来
So she stashes much of her plunder for later in the year
以作雪雁迁徙之后的食物之用
when all the geese have gone.
在北极苔原更远的南边有更大的掠食动物出没
Further south, other bigger predators prowl the tundra.
狼
Wolves.
对于狼来说 在茫茫大草原上寻食甚至更为艰辛
For them, finding food on the plains is an even greater challenge.
不仅它们的猎物是季节性的,而且很难找到
Not only is their prey seasonal, it's also hard to find.
这些狼虽觅食多日 但一无所获
They've been searching for days without a sign.
在这无边无际的大地上的某处 有它们所需要的食物
Somewhere in this immense landscape there is food for them.
这就是了
This is it.
北美驯鹿
Caribou.
驯鹿日行30英里
Travelling 30 miles a day,
差不多整个夏季能够行进2000英里
they can cover nearly 2,000 miles during the summer months.
狼若找不到驯鹿 就会饿死
The wolves will starve if they don't find the caribou.
但若想找到这些 脚步永不停止的猎物又谈何容易？
But it's no easy task to locate prey that never stops travelling.
会叮咬它们的苍蝇以及为了寻找新草场, 驱使它们不停的向前迁徙
Biting flies and the quest for new pasture drives the migration ever onwards.
一头狼终于找到了猎物的痕迹
A wolf has finally picked up the trail.
驯鹿近在眼前
The caribou are close.
机会终于来了！
At last, a chance.
猎捕开始了
The hunt is on.
狼从受到惊吓的鹿群中寻找老弱孤残
The wolf panics the herd, and the weak and young are singled out.
一头小鹿和母亲失散了
A calf is separated from its mother.
在雪雁的领地,此时正值盛夏 小鸟正在孵化
At the goose colony, it's high summer and eggs are hatching.
让人惊讶的是所有的小雪雁 差不多都在一两天内出生
The young all emerge within a day or two, a marvel of timing.
现在 这片领地上一下子多出了上百万只小雪雁
The colony is now home to a million goslings.
这只狐狸还在拼命地收集食物
The fox is still gathering all she can get.
有时候 一张嘴根本就不够
Sometimes one mouth simply isn't enough.
总有一只难逃噩运
0ne will have to do.
不是所有的食物都要储藏起来
Not all food is stored.
有些马上就要吃
Some is needed right now.
这只母狐狸有七只饥饿的小狐狸要喂养
She has seven hungry cubs to feed.
随着小狐狸胃口不断增加
As their appetites grow,
母狐狸必须拼命觅食才能养活全家
the mother must work tirelessly to raise her family.
同时只有健康、饱满的小狐狸 才能捱过北极的寒冬
0nly fat, healthy cubs will survive the Arctic winter.
成千上万的小雪雁还在茁壮成长
The vast majority of the goslings are still flourishing.
它们强壮得可以旅行时, 父母马上就带着它们来到更为安全的水域
Their parents lead them down to the safety of the water as soon as they're strong enough to make the journey.